2008 Woodie Awards
LOMBARDI: Bush veto cuts health care plan for impoverished kids
By Eric Lombardi
In wake of President George W. Bush vetoing a bipartisan bill that would have enhanced child health care in America, the Medical College of Wisconsin hosted a seminar composed of the nation's leading academics in children's health, poverty and ethical issues of social justice on Saturday morning.
The all-day seminar, entitled "We All Fall Down: Standing Up for Children in Wisconsin" was attended by more than 200 Marquette students, faculty and Milwaukee community members and addressed issues including poverty, poverty's effect on health and what we can do about poverty's negative effects on child health care.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2006 12.3 percent of Americans, or 36 million people, fell below the poverty line and many of these individuals have children who live without sufficient nutrition, substandard housing and health insurance.
Because these families work, they do not qualify for Medicaid, but also don't earn enough to afford private insurance coverage the government established the State Children's Health Insurance Program to subsidize health care coverage for more than six million American children.
Democrats in Congress, with extremely significant Republican support, proposed and passed legislation to increase SCHIP's budget by $35 billion over the next four years, which would allow for an additional four million children to gain health care coverage.
However, Bush's fourth veto of his eight-year presidency killed the bill thus ending the movement to help save the most desperate in America from pain, illness and, in some cases, death.
Why would Bush veto the bill? Perhaps because the bill was going to be paid for by increasing the taxes on cigarettes and American tobacco company Phillip Morris is the No. 1 contributor to the Republican Party.
I would love to spend the remainder of this article discussing how George W. is the spawn of Satan, but the real issue here is what is going to happen to these poverty-stricken children now.
The all-day seminar, entitled "We All Fall Down: Standing Up for Children in Wisconsin" was attended by more than 200 Marquette students, faculty and Milwaukee community members and addressed issues including poverty, poverty's effect on health and what we can do about poverty's negative effects on child health care.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2006 12.3 percent of Americans, or 36 million people, fell below the poverty line and many of these individuals have children who live without sufficient nutrition, substandard housing and health insurance.
Because these families work, they do not qualify for Medicaid, but also don't earn enough to afford private insurance coverage the government established the State Children's Health Insurance Program to subsidize health care coverage for more than six million American children.
Democrats in Congress, with extremely significant Republican support, proposed and passed legislation to increase SCHIP's budget by $35 billion over the next four years, which would allow for an additional four million children to gain health care coverage.
However, Bush's fourth veto of his eight-year presidency killed the bill thus ending the movement to help save the most desperate in America from pain, illness and, in some cases, death.
Why would Bush veto the bill? Perhaps because the bill was going to be paid for by increasing the taxes on cigarettes and American tobacco company Phillip Morris is the No. 1 contributor to the Republican Party.
I would love to spend the remainder of this article discussing how George W. is the spawn of Satan, but the real issue here is what is going to happen to these poverty-stricken children now.
Published: 10/9/07 Section: Viewpoints
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 8
Linda Noon
posted 10/09/07 @ 11:31 AM CST
What percent of those uninsured are illegal aliens or children of illegal aliens? What percent of those living in poverty are put there because formerly decent wages are undercut by a massive illegal labor pool? Until we get illegal in-migration under control, adding more and more and more chldren to the list is just one more lure to illegal immigration. (Continued…)
Dr Coles
posted 10/09/07 @ 12:42 PM CST
Pure propaganda!
Kids have health care. The needy already have health care. The U.S. is not a socialist state. The government caused the problem with health care in America by over socializing medicine to the extent it is not completive, and we want to exacerbate the problem? U. (Continued…)
Brian
posted 10/10/07 @ 3:07 PM CST
What the author forgot to point out is the plan proposed by President Bush increased the funding to the original program and that the Democrats where pushing for even more money. (Continued…)
Brian
posted 10/12/07 @ 5:32 PM CST
I knew this would happen ... good thing I came back.
Well, "Jane Doe," that wasn't my comment. I don't write ... "The author" ... if you read my blog, GOP3. (Continued…)
The other Brian
posted 10/19/07 @ 10:48 AM CST
Ms. Doe,
I am the Brian who refered to "the author . . ." I am not the Brian in GOP3 or whatever that is. Believe it or not, two people can have the same name and what is perhaps even more inconceivable is that two people of the same name can be interested in Marquette. (Continued…)
Ricky Bobby
posted 10/19/07 @ 4:18 PM CST
Actually it is inconceivable because only Brian Collar's opinion matters.
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